CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$243

about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $221–$352

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$221

About the fair price

about $22 under the fair price · 0.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $243 This hospital $221 Cash price $265 Hospital's list price $1,663

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

On the higher side — 6 of 8 other LA hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $119 Priciest $235

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 LA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a MRI, brain (no contrast) is about $243 (about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate). Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital charges insurers about $221, or about $265 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Slidell, LA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$221 - $321	91%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$193 - $238	79%
Aetnamajor	$221 - $442	91%
Cignamajor	$800	328%
Humanamajor	$221 - $334	91%
AmeriHealth	$253	104%
WellCare	$221	91%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$221 - $1,497

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Excludes 3 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 265), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 70551.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70551.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital

Compare: MRI, brain (no contrast) at other LA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.